Thermometers



April 24, 1956 F, PERLIN 2,742,787

THERMOMETERS Filed Aug. 5, 1955 mventor F R E D P E R LIN Cttorneg United safes 'Patent o rHERMoMErEns Fred Perlin, Oconomowoc, Wis., a's-sguor to Brot-vn' & Bigelow, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation ot Minnesota Application August 3, 1953, Serial No. l371,941 3 Claims. (Cl. 73-367) This invention relates to a thermometer wherein the thermostatic element is mounted inl a free wheeling man ner-so'that it may be freely revolved around a supportingaxis, yet has the Vpropertyl of being counterbalanced so that the indicating arm will properly indicate the ternperature when the element comeslto rest.l f

A feature resides in providing a thermometer for registering the temperature which contains a unit enclosed within a perforated casing having a thermostatic element fixed on one end to the casing and theother end being fixed to a hub which supports a counterbalancing element. The whole casing unit is mounted freely rotatable on a shaft while the shaft in turn isf-supported on a transparent plastic or similar disk. The unit includes the casing or housing for enclosing the thermostatic element and an indicator arm or pointer is provided to indicate the degrees of temperature. The indicator arm is fixed tothe housing or casing in which the thermostatic element is enclosed.`

It is also a feature to provide a thermometer4 which, from all appearances, seems to be supported vin space because it is mounted upon the transparent plastic disk. The transparent plastic diskhas formed therein indicia to indicate the degrees of temperature. This indicia may be indicated by the numerals such as 50, 60, 70 etc. and between which gauge marks are shown on the transparent disk so that the thermometer pointer can indicate 'the temperature on either side of the' respective numerals indicia such as 73 or 69 etc.

My thermometer has certain intriguing features .such as indicating the temperature on a transparent disk with an element that seemingly hangs in space and which element with its pointer can be whirled around on its support without interfering with the efficiency of the thermometer. The thermostatic element is protected by the casing surrounding the same and when once the element is properly set, it' will accurately indicate the temperature. The counterbalancing element in the casing associated with the thermostatic element uniformly balances the indicating pointer of a thermometer which is adapted to swing freely in front of the transparent plastic disk upon which the temperature indicia is formed. The transparent disk is mounted on a base so las, to support the same in upright position, andin view of the transparent nature of the disk, objects are visible through the same, thus enhancing the appearance of the whole ther mometer. Furthermore, this transparent supporting disk attracts the curiosity of the observer and the result is that the observer endeavors to touch the thermostaticindicator unit whereupon theindicator unit will freely rotate on its supporting axis and yet when the same comes to rest, the temperature indicating pointer will accurately indicate the temperature, thusv intriguing the observer and stimulating his curiosity as to the operation of this thermometer.

The foregoing features indicate to a large extent vthe objects of my invention. However, other objects and features together with the details of my thermometer will ,Ice

eter.

of Figure l of my thermometer with a portion supporting base broken away.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

of the 15 to the transparent disk 10.

The thermostatic unit contained in the casing 13 includes a helically wound thermostatic element 16 with .i

one end thereof anchored at17 in the casing 13 andthe other end 18 anchored in the hub portion 19. '4

The hub 19 is adapted to rotate freely onv the shaft 14,

the rear wall 13' of the casing 13 is secured to a temperature indicating pointer 2(1)V by the rivets 21. The

pointer member 20 is formed with a lower'end 22 which normally projects 'below the casing 13. Thepportion" of the pointer 22 projecting below the casing 13 is'adapted to provide a balance to tend to balance the temperature .y

pointer 20.

Within the casing 13 and mounted on the hub 19, I provide a counterbalance weight 23. The weight 23 is fixed to the hub 19 at 24. The weight 23 balances the thermometer unit B with its indicating arm 20 to normally hold the unit B in upright balance. The counterbaiance weight 23 depends downwardly atl all times and it together with the hub 19 does not rotate except, of

course, when the unit B is spun around on the shaft 14.-

The thermostatic element 16 operates by the temperature to expand or contract, and thus, causes the tem-l perature indicating arm or pointer 20 to move to indicate by the indicia 25, which is formed on the face of the transparent plastic disk 10, the temperature of the atmosphere. As the pointer 20 and the casing 13 are moved by the element 16, the weight 23 and the hub 19 do not move, the counterweight acting as a form of xed point. The casing 13 is formed with a series of slotted openings 26 to freely permit the air of the atmospherel to freely Contact the therrnostatic element 16. v

The thermostatic unit B is iloatingly mounted on the shaft 14 and one end 17 of the thermostatic element 16 is` i mounted in the casing 13 while the other end 1S thereof is mounted in the hub 19 which is freely'rotatable on the shaft 14. Thus, in this respect, my thermostatc unit and thermometer differs from ordinary old types of thermometers where one end of the thermostatic yelement vwas' fixed to a rigid non-movable portion of the thermometer and the'other end was fixed to the indicating pointer which lindicated the temperature. However, in my" thermometer, I have departed from the regular practice of mounting the ends of the thermostatic elements and ioatingly mounting the whole unit B so that the samev may rotate around the shaft 14. However, I have also provided a counterbalance weight Z3 against which force f the thermostatic element must work in the movement of` the temperature pointer 20.

The shaft 14 is rigidly 'fixed in the plastic disk 10 at 15; however, the head of the hollow rivet 27 holds the unit B on the shaft 14. The attractive nature of my thermometer intrigues the observer who is inclined to touch the element B or the pointer 20 whereupon the same will rotate on the shaft 14 and the observer may, if he desires, whirl the entire unit B around on the shaft 14; nevertheless, when the unit B comes to rest, it willset Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 2 2 i In the drawings, the thermometer A is adapted to be" thlet-pointerlZOxat-thefproper degree on the indicia 2S to indicate the temperature.

The new principle of oatingly mounting the entire thermostatic unit B in relation to the fixed indicia providesa thermometer .of anattractive'natureof havinglthe` utility of indicating the temperature aswell as counterbalancingEtheunit so that even` though it is -whirled around 0n the4 shaft-14;'itwill` always right itself torindicate the proper temperature when it comes to rest.

I claim;

1. In a thermometer, a supportmember having .a shaft extending therefrom, a floating counterweight anchor member rotatably mounted s on i. said' shaft, a bi-metal thermostatic` strip, a pointer membervrotatably4 mounted on said shaft,` means connecting ione end of saidybi-metal strip to said4 oating. counterweight.anchor member and thelother endto said pointer lmember whereby said pointer is `actuated by-said bi-metal strip `and at'the same time rotatable onsaid shaft.`

2. A thermometer for indicatingthe temperature including a fixed transparent-disk upon which indicia is formed for indicating they degrees of temperature, a thermostatic unit mounted -uponna fixed shaft supported by said transparentl disk, said unit including'a thermostatic-element, theends ofsaid element being movable relative. tosone, another-in response tothetemperature to which said elementis exposed, a hub rotatably `mounted on saidshaft and to which Aone endof said element is secured, acasing enclosingssaid thermostatieunit and to which the other end of said element is attached, a pointer secured to said casingand adapted to be moved over said indicia, and a counter-balancing means secured to said hub to supply a resistance to the movement of the said one end of said element, whereby the relative movement of the said ends causes the said other end to rotate pointer and casing about said hub in` response to change in temperature to which the element is exposed, with the said thermostatic unit remaining freely rotatable on said shaft.

3. An indicating thermometer comprising a base member, an upstanding support Vmember attached to said base member, indicia formed uponssaid support member, a shaft atxed to said upstanding support member, a pointer rotatable upon said shaft, counter-balancing means rotatable upon said shaft, ahelical thermostatic element wound about said shaft, one end of said thermostatic element being afxed to said counter-balancing` means and the other end of said element being aixedito said pointer, whereby said counter-balancing means provides resistance to the expansion and contraction of said thermostatic element, thereby causing said pointer to rotate relative to said counter-balancing means toV indicate` theI ambient temperature, said pointer together with said thermostatic element and said counter-balancing means beingfreely` rotatable about said shaft and self-resettable to, indiczateV the correct ambient temperature.

References'Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,284,048 Ford May 26, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 413,405 Germany May 9; 1925 1,007,924 France Feb. 13, 1952` 

